Reed actuated signal



A. F. GILLET 2,061,

REED AGTUATED S IGNAL Nov. 24, 1936.

Filed March 25, 1955 Fig. 1.

3 Sheets-Sheet l Smacntor Gttorneg Nov. 24, 1936. A. F. GILLET REED ACTUATED SIGNAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 23, 1955 Snventor OFOGNQ I Gttorneg Nov. 24, 1936. A. F. GILLET REED ACTUATED SIGNAL Filed March 25, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Figli Figi 8.

Z'snventor E A121611 t v ,L e Gif me Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES REED ACTUATED SIGNAL Alexis F. Gillet, Omaha, Nebr., assigner to Jubilee Manufacturing Co., Omaha, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska Application March 23, 1935, Serial No. 12,668

1 Claim.

This invention relates to suction operated reed actuated signals, more particularly for use with and attachment to the engines of automobiles of recent manufacture for notifying pedestrians and traffic of the approach of the vehicle.

It is well known to the art that certain prior art signals have the advantage that a louder signal may be generally obtained therefrom, comparatively, than from signals employing l0 reeds and the disadvantage that a raucous comparatively excruciating blast is provided incident to the employment of valves which seat or a reversal of valve parts which use vibratable resilient valve seats whereas reed signals have a mellow, pleasing tone, but heretofore not loud enough to function well for signalling purposes particularly in noisy traiiic incident to the reeds merely vibrating in a iiowing air stream. Reed type signals such as shown in the patent to Pierson No. 961,158 and my prior Patent No. 1,964,284 are recognized by the art as operating upon diierent principles than the seating valve genre of signals and many of both types of the specie have employed evacuated storage tanks for their operation since the normal amount of suction obtained directly from the high speed automobile engines of present day type is small and of wide variance in amount and in this connection it will be understood that the present invention is intended for attachment to and operation with existing xed conditions and preproportioned parts provided by automobile manufacturers and without the employment of said storage tanks.

The later day automobile engines are provided with a threaded tap on their intake manifolds for the connection thereto of suction operated windshield wiper mechanisms and the like, such taps are purposely made of small area by engine manufacturers to prevent too great a dilution of the engines fuel mixture incident to air passing through the bore of such tap. The area of said tap is such that upon membering a nipple therewith the bore of the latter cannot be larger than substantially .06201 of a square inch and the amount of suction is consequently small therethrough and often insufficient for operating signals particularly those of reed type, more particularly at times when an operator opensthe throttle valve of said engine causing a diversion of suction from said bore to the air intake of the carburetor and it is an object of the present invention to provide a construction so proportioned that the small amount of air permitted to pass said bore is eiciently used for increasing the frequency of sound wave pulsations Without the necessity of wholly or partially shutting the said engine throttle as practiced heretofore.

A further object of the invention is to provide a particular construction of signal of reed genre having the mellow tone characteristic of reeds and which is also sufficiently loud for traffic warning particularly when the trafic is of a noisy condition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a signal of standardized size and parts, producable at a minimum of expense, which will operate efficiently with any type or size of later day engine having said tap with which it may be connected.

The essence of the invention or of the combination which renders the foregoing objects possible of accomplishment resides primariy in the provision of an air passageway proportionate to a selected reed. Seoondarily accurately positioning the movable end of the reed relatively to said passageway of the soundbox and of the axis of a resonator when the latter is employed is of importance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions some modifications of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a warning signal embodying the present invention, the resonators thereof and connection to a source of suction being partially broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a sound wave pulsation channel employed.

Figure l is a bottom plan View of vibratable reeds and a carrying frame therefor.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of a casing member employed.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 1 and showing a modification thereof.

Figure 7 is a top plan View of the modication shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a transverse section taken on line 8 8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 4 on an enlarged scale.

Figure 10 is an enlarged view taken on line iii-ld of Figure 4.

Figure 11 is a transverse section of the casing member shown in Figure 2, the view being taken on line II-II of said figure and showing the clamping tangs prior to a bending of the latter.

Figure 12 is a transverse section taken on line |2--I2 of the modied casing and combined sound wave pulsation channel shown in Figure 7.

Figure 13 is a top plan view of a control valve employed.

Figure 14 is a side view of the invention, the control valve being omitted.

, Figure l5 is a transverse section of the unitarily constructed resonators shown in Figure 14, the View being taken on line |5|5 thereof.

Figure 16 is a side view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of a further modification of the invention, the section thereof being taken on line IS-IS of Figure 17.

Figure 17 is a top plan View of the modication shown in Figure 16.

Figure 18 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line |8|8 of Figure 17.

Referring to the drawings 28 indicates a cylinder having a tang 2| provided with a hole 22 for securing the device to a stud bolt of an engine in a stationary position. Within the bore 23 of the cylinder a valve head 24 is mounted for sliding movements and normally positioned for closing communication between the bore 23 and an `aperture 25 provided in the cylinder wall. The aperture 25 threadedly receives a nipple 26 having a conduit or hose 21 which is in communication with a source of suction and with the heretofore mentioned bore through a wall of the intake manifold of an engine. The stem 28 of the valve head 24 extends outwardly of the cylinder and is connected to a cable 29 which leads to the drivers seat of the vehicle. The cable may be moved for drawing the valve head 24 past the aperture 25 against the urge of a spring 30 for establishing a communication of suction to the bore 23. The barrel 3| of the cylinder is received within an outlet port of the new signal and the latter is secured by means of screws 32 to a ange 33 formed integral with the cylinder. The control device thus described may be attached by means of said screws to either of the modifications of the signal shown in Figures 1, 6, or 16.

Referring to Figure 1 there is a sound box between a front wall or cover 34 and a back Wall or cover or casing member 35, between which a. wall or plate 36 providing a frame for carrying reeds is positioned. The reeds 31 are the same except in size and the operation thereof is the same and therefor but one reed will be particularly described, it being understood that if a dual tone is desired two reeds and resonators may be employed, as shown.

Between the wall of the back cover a suction chamber 38 is provided which is of larger area in plan than the reed and provided with an outlet port 39 within which the barrel 3| of the cylinder is received.

For convenience in die pressing the front and back cover together and crimping the edges of one over the other said covers are made of the same area in plan and when this construction is employed a ller block for the frontcoVer is provided, positioned between the wall 36 and the front cover. The filler 4|) may be formed of any suitable material such as cardboard or the like having an elongated aperture 4| providing an air channel, the side walls 42 of which are of the same contour in plan as the reed 31. The area in plan of the channel 4| is less than that of the suction chamber 38. The length or height of the side walls 42 is not material but must be suflicient to permit vibration of the reed therebetween as later explained.

The front cover is provided with an air inlet port or opening 43 which is of greater area in plan than the air channel 4|.

As best shown in Figure 4, the wall is incised and provided with an aperture 45, forming a continuation of the channel opening of the filler block 40, which is of the same shape in plan as the free movable end of the reed and, as shown by the full lines in Figure 1, said end normally lies within said aperture of the wall, said aperture being of the same shape and area in plan as the heretofore mentioned air channel 4| and is in eiTect an addition thereto. The side edges of the reed are spaced away from the side walls of the air channel 4| or from the side walls of the aperture 45 of the wall 36, in instances where a wall is employed, substantially .001 of an inch preferably. In actual practice and by experimentation it has been ascertained that the closer the side walls of the channel are positioned to the side edges of the reed the more efficient the device is, said proportion and arrangement of the parts producing a larger number of vibrations of the reed and sound wave pulsations.

As shown in Figure 4, the side edges of the reed converge towards each other from their wider end adjacent the rivets 44 and the clearance between the end wall 4B of the air channel 4| and the tip end of the reed is also substantially .O01 preferably. When the free end of the reed reciprocates into the channel the side walls of the latter and also the end wall 45 thereof prevent an undesired rush of air underneath the reed on account of the height of said walls with respect to the thickness of the reed, it being understood that the application of air pressure upon the bottom of the reed cr that side thereof which faces the suction chamber 38 is not desirable in that the same would decrease the number of sound wave pulsations actuated by the reed. The relatively high walls with respect to the thickness of the reed insure a wide amplitude of movement of the reed with a consequent relatively loud tone to the signal.

The free end of the reed vibrates and reciprocates alternately between the channel 4| and the suction chamber 38 and when the reed enters said chamber air impinging against it from the channel spreads freely into the larger chamber 38. The height of the walls of the channel 4| preferably is no greater than suilicient to provide room for the reception of the free end of the reed during its reciprocating movements but should be of sufficient height to space the front cover away from the tip end of the reed and prevent contact of said cover and tip end which would result in a signal of buzzing, undesired tone. The reed is preferably formed of fiat, resilient spring steel and so positioned with respect to the channel that oppositely disposed side edges of the reed are in parallelism with the side walls of the channel.

A resonator 41 is secured above and in alignment with the air inlet opening 43 of the front cover, said resonator preferably being of truncated, conical shape as shown in Figure 14, and also preferably provided with a bell 48. Where two resonators are employed for a signal of dual tone they may be formed of an integral piece of metal and joined together by means of an integral webb 49 as shown in Figures 14 and 15. A resonator is secured to the front cover 34 by any suitable means such as the collar 5l) and screws 5|.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the axis of a resonator is disposed in alignment with the free movable end of the sound wave generator or reed for communicating sound wave pulsations direct- 1y and evenly into said resonator.

The modification shown in Figure 6 omits the heretofore mentioned filler 40, the air passageway channel 4I being provided by die pressing it into the front cover 34.

The modification shown in Figure 16 omits the iiller 40 and also the wall 35 or reed carrying frame, its front cover being provided by a casting of alloy of metal common to die casting processes. In this modification the reed is riveted directly to the casting, the latter being so shaped that the essential element or air channel 4I is provided therein. In all modifications the front and back cover may be secured together by any suitable means and preferably said parts are die pressed and secured together by bending tangs 52 over adjacent members of the device. As shown in Figures 16 and 17 said tangs are provided upon the back plate or back cover and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, said tangs are provided upon the front cover 34 and are particularly illustrated in Figure 11. As shown in Figures 6 and 7 said tangs are also provided upon the front cover as particularly illustrated in Figure 12.

When the modification shown in Figure 16 is employed the roof 53 of the air channel 4I is sloped as shown from the intake port 43 towards the Xed end of the reed, making a narrower channel for air towards the reed which slightly increases the eiciency of the device.

In operation when the control valve is open the suction provided by the engine withdraws air from the suction chamber 38 providing within said chamber a less than atmospheric condition. The air at atmospheric pressure upon that side of the reed opposite to the suction chamber causes the free end of the reed to be moved into said chamber against the tension provided by the resiliency of said reed and air enters the chamber 38 faster than the less than atmospheric condition can be maintained therein. The free end of the reed then moves into the air channel and the operation is rapidly repeated.

The air entering through the port 43 becomes compressed or squeezed by means of the air channel 4l, increasing the velocity and pressure of the air during its passage through the said channel. The major portion which moves through the channel 4l impinges against the reed and freely expands in the chamber 38 when the reed is moved into the latter. A large portion of the air from the `channel dl slips ofi the reed towards its narrower end into the chamber 38 and the latter being of larger area with respect to said channel a Venturi tube-like structure is provided. The increased velocity of the air increases the frequency and amplitude of vibration of the reed to produce the improved loud tone of the signal.

It will be understood that the device should be so mounted upon the vehicle that the resonaw tors thereof are positioned horizontally and in alignment with the forward travel of the vehicle which further increases the audibility of warning signals by directing the signal towards pedestrians and traic crossing the line of travel of the Vehicle.

What is claimed is:-

In a signal, a hollow body portion having front and rear walls, a resonator opening through said iront wall to the interior of the body portion, a reed plate disposed in the body portion between said walls and providing a resonator `chamber adjacent the front wall and a suction chamber adjacent the rear wall adapted for connection with a source of suction, a filler block disposed in the resonator chamber between the front wall and the reed plate, said reed plate and said filler block having a channel opening therethrough substantially in line with the resonator, a reed secured to the reed plate and having its free end portion conforming in size and contour substantially to that of said channel opening in the ller block and reed plate to provide a restricted channel in which the reed is adapted to vibrate.

ALEXIS F. GILLET. 

